We propose to instrument our Cessna 172 aircraft with scientific equipment so that we may implement a cohesive flight test program. The engineering instructional capability of the instrumented aircraft will strengthen and unify our undergraduate Aerospace Engineering program, our minority student community college outreach program, and our K-12 engineering outreach programs. We envisage a scenario similar to that existing in a corporate aircraft company whereby a problem is defined by top administrators, a flight test program to solve that problem is designed by the engineering staff, and support for the flight test program is provided by the various branches. In the university analogy, the faculty will pick a flight test problem such as an aircraft stability problem. The senior level Stability and Control class will develop a flight test and become program managers. Other classes will support that effort: Low Speed Aerodynamics students will calibrate the instrumentation, the Design class will design and construct wing mounts for the instrumentation, the Instrumentation class will be responsible for integration of the instruments, community college students will perform data analysis, and middle school students will assist at the airport with aircraft preparation. All students will participate in the actual flight tests. To carry out this project, we require a data analysis and display system, a flow visualization system, a pressure measurement system, a flight dynamics system, and a global positioning system.
